Gritty Eyes

One of the most common symptoms of dry eye sufferers is gritty or sandy sensation in the eye.

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Gritty eyes is the term for conditions where your eyes feel like they are scratched or irritated, despite there being nothing actually there to cause the feeling. What causes the feeling of gritty eyes?

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What is Gritty Eye?

Gritty eye, or foreign body sensation, is an irritating condition where your eyes feel irritated or scratched, almost like there is something stuck in them, without anything actually being present. Gritty eyes cause mild to severe eye discomfort, and experience other symptoms including irritation, pain, and watery eyes.

Causes of Gritty Eyes

Gritty eyes can be caused by several different conditions. They include:

Dry Eyes

Dry eyes is a condition which occurs if a person does not produce enough tears, or if they are producing poor quality tears.

Its symptoms include a burning or stinging sensation in the eyes, blurry vision, redness or irritation of the eyes, watery eyes, and pain while wearing contact lenses.

Blepharitis

Blepharitis is a condition which is characterized by inflammation of the eyelid.

Blepharitis symptoms include itchy eyes, a burning or stinging sensation in the eyes, light sensitivity, red or swollen eyes or eyelids, blurry vision, and swelling of the cornea.

Sjorgen’s Syndrome

Sjorgen’s syndrome is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells. It can lead to damage to the glands responsible for keeping the eyes and mouth moist, causing dry eye and the feeling of gritty eye.

Symptoms of Sjorgen’s syndrome include dry eyes, a stinging or burning sensation in the eyes, light sensitivity, blurry vision, discomfort while wearing contact lenses, and blepharitis.

Stye

A stye is a small red bump which develops at the base of an eyelash or underneath the eyelid. Styes are typically caused by bacterial infections, and they can lead to the following symptoms:

A painful, sometimes pus-filled lump, watery eyes, or swollen eyelids.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, happens when the conjunctiva (clear tissue which covers the white of the eye) of the eye gets irritated. Conjunctivitis can be bacterial, viral, or allergic.

Symptoms of conjunctivitis include itchiness, burning, or pain in the eyes, as well as redness, watery eyes, light sensitivity, blurry eyelids, puffy eyelids, or mucus, pus, or yellow discharge coming from the eyes.

Photokeratitis

Photokeratitis is a condition which can develop after the eyes are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays, such as when looking directly at the sun or a solar eclipse, glare reflecting off snow or water, and devices like welding torches.

This condition can cause eye redness, pain, and swelling, watery eyes, light sensitivity, temporary vision loss, and twitching eyelids.

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Meibomian gland dysfunction is when the meibomian glands (which produce tears that help keep the surface of the eyes moist) become clogged or are otherwise not producing enough oil to keep the tears from evaporating too quickly.

Symptoms of meibomian gland dysfunction include dry eyes, redness, burning or itchiness in the eyes, blurry vision, watery eyes, light sensitivity, or sticky or crusty eyes.

Other Medical risk factors:

Thyroid problems
Connective tissue disorders
Diabetes
Lupus
Various medications such as antidepressants, antihistamines blood pressure medications
Hormone replacement treatment
Refractive eye surgeries, such as LASIK & Cataract surgery
Inflammation of the eyelids from other eyelid conditions

Environmental risk factors

Use of air conditioning/ fans
Low humidity
Windy conditions
Dry climates

There are also risk factors which may be able to be adjusted, including:

Extended digital screen usage
Wearing contact lenses - people who wear contact lenses are 4 times more likely to develop dry eyes than people who do not use contact lenses
Smoking/ exposure to secondhand smoke

Treatment for Gritty Eyes

Because the feeling of gritty eyes is caused by a variety of different eye issues, the treatment will vary depending on which cause is present. Providing the correct treatment is vital, as treating for the wrong cause can lead to more issues.

For this reason, if you are experiencing gritty eye, it is important to see a doctor who can diagnose the cause of your gritty eye and advise you. Treatments may include

Omega 3 nutritional supplement to increase tear production
Proper eyelid hygiene
Warm compresses or advanced medical technology used to remove obstruction of the oil glands
Variety of eye drops
Tiny silicone plugs, called punctal plugs used to close the tear ducts
Special contact lenses
Prescription steroids to decrease inflammation
Prescription antibiotics for infection
Light therapy to open blocked meibomian glands
Amniotic membranes

Common Questions

What causes eyes to feel gritty?

There are a variety of eye conditions that can cause your eyes to feel gritty. Such as, dry eyes, blepharitis, allergies, Sjögren’s syndrome, various medications, infections, foreign body stuck in your eye etc. If your eyes feel gritty contact your eye care provider to get the proper diagnosis and treatment.

Does weather cause my eyes to feel painful, gritty, and dry?

Yes, especially winter weather. In the winter due to cold weather outdoors and heated air indoors we have less moisture and low humidity, which may result in our eyes feeling dry. Also if it’s windy and cold this can cause excessive tearing as well. Snowfall can also cause your eyes to be sensitive to light/painful because snowfall creates many reflective surfaces that increase the amount of light. If there is a lot of pollution outside or if it’s during the spring time and there is a lot of pollen in the air this can also make your eyes feel itchy and gritty.

Is MGD permanent?

Depends on the severity of the meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). We have meibomian glands on our upper and lower lid margin that help to produce oil, which contributes to the outermost oil layer of our tears and prevents our tears from evaporating. MGD is when the glands don’t work properly. If these glands are blocked, they do not secrete the oils necessary to maintain a healthy tear film, and can eventually die off resulting in various symptoms such as dry eyes, burning, itching, irritation, tearing, foreign body sensation etc. If the glands have already atrophied then there is no way of getting the glands back. However, if the glands are still present but just truncated or tortuous, then there is still a chance to allow the glands to start working properly again with various MGD treatment options.

What can I do to prevent dry eyes?

There are ways to alter your environment in order to prevent dry eyes. For instance, avoid air blowing in your eyes such as a fan, air conditioner, hair dryers, or car heaters. Also consider adding a humidifier to add moisture to dry indoor air, which is especially useful when the heaters are on in the winter. Also, when you go outside the wind and dry air can cause your eyes to tear and be dry, so to prevent this and to protect your eyes it’s important to wear sunglasses or other protective eyewear when you go outside. Furthermore, if you are working with your digital device it’s important to take breaks and follow the 20/20/20 rule, which is every 20 minutes look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Additionally, sometimes your eye doctor may notice early signs of dry eyes before you experience symptoms, so you can prophylactically treat dry eyes by applying warm compresses over your eyes and doing lid massage, as well as using artificial tears to keep the front surface of your eyes lubricated.

Summary

Gritty eyes is an uncomfortable feeling in the eye which can be caused by several different conditions, and treatment will vary based on the cause. If you are experiencing gritty eye, you can contact (360) 491-2121 at American Family Vision Clinic by phone to schedule an appointment for a dry eye evaluation.

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